English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a 5 million pound ($6.7 million) deal to sign 20-year-old Japan defender Kota Takai from Kawasaki Frontale in the J-League first division, the BBC reported Monday.
The 192-centimeter center-back has four international caps with the Samurai Blue and was named the J-League’s best young player in 2024.
After representing Japan at the Paris Olympics, he made his senior national team debut in a World Cup qualifier against China last September.
The product of Kawasaki’s renowned youth development program, Takai has earned a reputation for his strong defensive play and excellent footwork.
Spurs were led until the end of last season by former Yokohama F Marinos manager Ange Postecoglou, who was replaced earlier this month by Danish tactician Thomas Frank.
Cristiano Ronaldo (front) of Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr vies for the ball with Kota Takai of Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale in the first half of an AFC Champions League Elite semifinal in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on April 30, 2025. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
Takai is expected to arrive at Spurs next month and will be part of their first-team squad, the report said.
Danish club Brondby, meanwhile, announced the signing of 21-year-old Japanese forward Kotaro Uchino on a deal until the summer of 2029. The Yokohama F Marinos youth product is a student at the University of Tsukuba and played for Japan U-23 last year.
Related coverage:
Football: Al Ahli beat Kawasaki to win Asian Champions League Elite
Football: Kawasaki beat star-studded Al Nassr to reach ACLE final
Football: J-League opens European office to bolster profile, ties
AloJapan.com